Deep breath . . . and exhale.
The Journey Of A Lifetime
This year’s Last Annual Heart Of The South is a 355 mile journey run from somewhere down south to Sand Mountain in north Georgia. There’s also a 50 mile bonus option for those runners who feel this isn’t a long enough distance already. There are no aid stations. No checkpoints. No crew. Just the runner and an unmarked course on open roads. It’s a different route each year and runners don’t get the actual course until the night before. As 232 miles is the furthest I’ve gone to date, I will be partaking in the 355 mile distance.
Goals and Objectives
I’m going to attempt to approach this race a little differently than I normally do. Typically, I’ll set some aggressive time or distance goals and then work out a theoretical framework to achieve them. That seems like a silly approach for a course that I know nothing about at this point. I think a better way to go into this race will be with process oriented goals rather than those focused on outcomes.
- Stay safe
- Enjoy the journey
- Move steadily
Safety first. This is not something you think about in most races, however is vitally important when you’re moving on open roads. Especially as you get deeper into these races where sleep deprivation starts to be a thing. My first thought in all situations will be what’s the safest option? Whether we’re talking about stepping off the road for a truck (10 seconds) or laying down for a quick nap (20 minutes), I want to be laser focused on always choosing the least risky option.
This is supposed to be fun. Maybe I should toss some quotation marks around the word fun, but there’s no reason not to enjoy myself as much as possible. This will occur by taking extra time during the hottest parts of the day and finding some place to shelter during storms. I’ll want to pivot from a normal “this is a race” mindset to a “this is an adventure” one during this run. I don’t want to just completely bury myself out there by grinding out continuous mileage regardless of how I feel. I’ve also learned over the years that feeling good means you’re moving good so this is also a way for me to boost my overall performance. Knowing how I’m wired though I’m probably going to have the most problems executing this process goal over the others.
Slow and steady. Once the first two points above are addressed, I want to be making consistent progress towards the Rock. This doesn’t mean I won’t take breaks. I most assuredly will be stopping to resupply myself. I’ll be stopping to sleep. I will sit down to cool off when I start to get overheated. I will find cover when there’s lightning around. If I’m stopped though, I want to be stopped for a reason. They should be long enough to address my issue, but no longer.
Masterclass in Ultrarunning
This will be the single hardest thing I’ve ever attempted. Without question. It’s not so much the distance involved though 355 miles is nothing to sneeze at. It’s more the unsupported format which forces you to manage all the shuns by yourself:
- Nutrition
- Hydration
- Navigation
- Motivation
Any one of these things can completely derail my race. I’ll need to be dialed in and focused mile after mile. Hour after hour. Town after town. Day after day. If I was to guess, navigation is going to end up being my biggest issue. I’ve had problems in the past even with the benefit of having things planned out ahead of time. I’m better with navigation than I was several years ago, however it’s very easy to make mistakes as your mental capacity shrinks over the course of a race this long. It’s best to go in accepting that mistakes will be made. Probably even large mistakes. Hopefully, I can quickly regroup without spiraling completely out of control.
The complicating factor to all this is that I won’t receive the course until the night before. I’m a capital P Planner (I have lists for my lists, people) and this is driving me absolutely crazy. You mean I just show up and run? Where will I get my food/fluids? How much elevation gain/loss is there? What’s the forecasted overnight low for the third night? How long till we get to the ferry? Like I don’t even know what state we’re starting in for crying out loud! I’m trying to plan out some strategies for dealing with the widest range of variables/potential disaster scenarios. Essentially this comes down to carrying extra food and bringing a Katadyn bottle for emergencies. Success in ultras comes down to being flexible so I’ll need to be mentally pliable throughout.
This Thursday my masterclass in ultrarunning commences. The only thing left to discover is whether I’m teaching it or getting schooled.